Ship-buildihg



FFICE.

DANIEL VROOMAN, OF HUDSON, OHIO.

SHIP-BUILDING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,097, dated November 16, 1858.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL VRooMAN, of Hudson, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful improvement in ships and other vessels for enabling their up and down motion from the rolling of the sea and other causes and the corresponding movements of the water to aid in propelling them on their course; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying` drawings, making part of this specification.

Figure 1, is a side view of the hull of a ship with a series of the improved elastic propelling fins or wings attached to the bow, bilge run and counter of the same. Fig. 2, is a stern elevation of ditto. Fig. 3, is a side elevation of the hull of a ship with the run and counter of the same altered, and the improvement attached in a modified form. Fig. l, is a stern elevation of ditto. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are side elevations of the hulls of vessels constructed after the improved system. Fig. 8, is a stern elevation of ditto.

Similar letters in the figures refer to corresponding parts.

The nature of this improvement and invention consists in forming projections on the bow, bilge, run and counter of ships, whose sides shall be parallel with the keel of the same, and whose upper and lower surfaces shall incline at corresponding angles with the water line, so as to form acute angles at their terminations, and attaching to these wedge-shaped portions, gutta-percha or other elast-ic lins or wings, in such a manner as to cause the water to impinge and act upon the inclined surfaces of the projections, and the yielding elastic fins or wings in continuation of them, during the upward and downward movement of the vessel through the rolling of the sea, and the corresponding movement of the water, and thus propel the said vessel on her course.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

It is obvious that this system of propelling vessels, by their upward and downward movements of their bow and stern sides, can be varied without departing from the main feature of the invention, namely, that of presenting inclined and curved surfaces to the act-ion of the water, but it is believed that the best method of accomplishing the object designed, and without materially altering the lines and symmetry of the ship is to attach t-he elastic fins or wings A, to the bow, bilge and sides, and to projections B, somewhat resembling a trapezium in form, on the run and counter of the vessel, above and below the water line, as represented in Figs. l and 2. In this case the said iins or wings A, which are made of gutta percha, or other elastic material, are secured to metallic plates or bars O, firmly secured to the bow and bilge, and projecting therefrom any desired distance, and being made sharp on their forward edges, so as to present but little obstructing surface to the progress of the vessel. These fins or wings A, may be made of any desired form, width and thickness, and should be made slightly tapering in thickness, from the part where they are secured to the metallic bars of plates C, to their after terminal edge, so as to enable them tc act upon the water somewhat after the manner of the tails or flukes of whales. The wings or fins A, at the run and under the counter are secured at their forward edges to the apex or terminal angular rear portions of the angular projections B, whose sides diverge from the run and counter parallel to the keel of the vessel, and

`whose upper and lower inclined surfaces form corresponding angles to the said keel, said surfaces being in form somewhat similar to a right-angled triangle with a curved hypotenuse.

From a perusal of the foregoing and reference to the drawings, it will be observed that the upper and lower surfaces of the fans or wings A, and the upper and lower inclined surfaces of the projections B, on the run and counter, are arranged in such relation to the course or fore and aft line of the vessel as to cause them to be acted upon by the water, when raised and lowered by the pitching for rolling, or rising and falling of the vessel, or by the corresponding movement of the water, at such angles in relation to the said course or fore and aft line as to tend to propel the vessel forward, the elastic ends of the fins or wings A, yielding to this action of the water, and moving up and down through the several degrees of the circles described by them, with the required degree of regularity and quickened to produce the results desired and indicated.

The form and positions of the projections B, to produce the upper and lower inclined surfaces, may be varied, as, for example, one large projection D, Figs. 2 and 3, having inclined surfaces may be extended from about amidships or at the waist of the vessel, beside the run and under the counter, and made to terminate immediately below the taffrail. In this case a groove or contraction D1, is commenced on each side, at the load line, near midships, or at the waist, which is made wider and deeper, as is the upper part of the hull, in its progress toward the stern. 'Ihe portion of the vessel above this groove is rounded or curved like the ordinary stern, run and counter, and the portion below the groove D1, is inclined downward and upward in corresponding angles to a horizontal plane, while the same width of projection is presented, until the two inclined surfaces meet at the stern, where they are provided with gutta percha or other flexible and elastic fins or wings A. These inclined surfaces may also be developed by constructing the hulls of vessels, as represented in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, and arranging the flexible and elastic fins or wings A, in the relation to them represented, but, as before stated, the form and arrangement of the proj ections B, and fins or wings A, represented in Figs l and 2, are believed to be preferable for the purposes of the design.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement and combination of the inclinedsurfaces or projections B, D, and the elastic fins or wings A, with the hull of the vessel, substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and described.

DANIEL VROOMAN.

Vitnesses WM. TUsoHL, W. I-IAUFF. 

